John Haack Smokes a 227.5kg (501 lb) Bench PR

John Haack is wasting no time pushing new strength feats in 2018 with his latest training PR on the bench press. Haack is no stranger to pushing big weight, and he recently surpassed a huge bench milestone of 500 lbs. In his latest video, Haack benched 227.5kg (501 lbs) for a speedy bench press PR.

Haack regularly competes at 83kg and is a dominating force for the weight class. In the USAPL, Haack currently holds the junior raw American bench press record at 195kg. In addition, Haack owns the Open total record of 813kg. The current American bench press record for the Open 83kg category sits at 201kg and was set by Todd Talford in early December 2017.

Yes, Haack is sitting at a slightly heavier weight in the video than what he normally competes at, but with his 220kg paused press, we may be seeing the 201kg press fall sometime in 2018.

And this isn’t the only strong press video Haack’s shared in the recent past. A couple weeks ago, he was hitting 213kgs (470 lbs) for a few singles before hitting speed reps at 130kg.

As we progress into 2018, it’s going to be exciting to see what new strength feats Haack will accomplish. Will he break the American bench press record, come after Russel Orhii’s recent squat record, and push his total record further? Time will tell.

Jake holds a Master's in Sports Science and a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. Currently, Jake serves as the Fitness and Training Editor at BarBend. He's a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and has spoken at state conferences on the topics of writing in the fitness industry and building a brand. As of right now, Jake has published over 1,200 articles related to strength athletes and sports. Articles about powerlifting concepts, advanced strength & conditioning methods, and topics that sit atop a strong science foundation are Jake's bread-and-butter. On top of his personal writing, Jake edits and plans content for 15 writers and strength coaches who come from every strength sport. Prior to BarBend, Jake worked for two years as a strength and conditioning coach for hockey and lacrosse players, and a personal trainer the three years before that, and most recently he was the content writer at The Vitamin Shoppe's corporate office. Jake competes in powerlifting in the 181 lb weight class, and considers himself a professional knee rehabber after tearing his quad squatting in 2017. On the side of writing full time, Jake works as a part-time strength coach and works with clients through his personal business Concrete Athletics in New York City.

Follow Us

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting. BarBend is not affiliated with or endorsed by CrossFit, Inc. or NPGL. Contact us: [email protected]